MONTEREY, Calif. – On September 27, 2024, Lieutenant Gavin Nelson completed the Master of Arts in Security Studies Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS).

Nelson currently serves as a lieutenant with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Division where he leads detectives and supervisors who investigate physical, sexual, and internet crimes against children. He is a member of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Lieutenant Nelson is a Congressional Gold Medal recipient for his actions on January 6, 2021.

Throughout the hybrid program, Nelson collaborated with homeland security officials from across the nation on current policy, strategy, and organizational design challenges needed to defeat terrorism and prepare for and respond to natural disasters and public safety threats across the United States.

The degree program requires 18 months of coursework and a thesis. The courses are organized in quarters rather than semesters, with each quarter requiring two weeks in residence at the NPS campus. The remainder of the coursework is completed via network-based learning. The members spent an average of 20 hours per week during the network-based learning periods of study.

“I am pleased to congratulate Lieutenant Gavin Nelson on his graduation from such an academically demanding and rigorous program,” shared Chief Pamela A. Smith. “The critical thinking skills, defense-focused insights, and leadership training he’s received in this program will certainly help as he continues leading the detectives of the Youth Division’s Physical and Sexual Abuse Branch.”

The NPS-CHDS students represent a snapshot of the homeland security enterprise, including professionals from the fields of emergency management, education, law enforcement, fire service, homeland security, public health, and local government.